# US 2020/0401223 A1 · Bidirectional self-healing neural interface and manufacturing method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401223 A1 - Document ID: US20200401223A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/902,040 - Filed: 2020-06-15 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-19 - Assignees: Korea Institute of Science and Technology - Applicants: Korea Institute of Science and Technology - Inventors: Hyunseon SEO; Inchan YOUN; Hyojin LEE; Kang-Il SONG; Donghee SON - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401223A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/015: {Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection} - H05K 3/025: {by transfer of thin metal foil formed on a temporary carrier, e.g. peel-apart copper} - C08G 77/388: containing nitrogen - C08K 3/08: Metals - H05K 1/028: {Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence)} - H05K 1/0283: {Stretchable printed circuits} - H05K 1/0393: {Flexible materials (H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups)} - H05K 1/09: Use of materials for the {conductive, e.g. } metallic pattern - H05K 1/118: {specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions} - H05K 3/007: {Manufacture or processing of a substrate for a printed circuit board supported by a temporary or sacrificial carrier (H05K1/187, H05K3/20 and H05K3/4682 take precedence)} - H05K 3/14: using spraying techniques to apply the conductive material {, e.g. vapour evaporation} - H05K 3/146: {By vapour deposition} - H05K 3/28: Applying non-metallic protective coatings {(H05K3/0091 takes precedence; methods for intermediate insulating layers for build-up multilayer circuits H05K3/4673)} - C08K 2003/0806: {Silver} - C08K 2201/001: Conductive additives - H05K 2201/0133: Elastomeric or compliant polymer - H05K 2201/0154: Polyimide - H05K 2201/0195: Dielectric or adhesive layers comprising a plurality of layers, e.g. in a multilayer structure - H05K 2201/0245: Flakes, flat particles or lamellar particles - H05K 2201/0257: Nanoparticles - H05K 2201/0314: Elastomeric connector or conductor, e.g. rubber with metallic filler - H05K 2201/0317: Thin film conductor layer; Thin film passive component - H05K 2201/0329: Intrinsically conductive polymer [ICP]; Semiconductive polymer - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS - C08K: Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients (paints, inks, varnishes, dyes, polishes, adhesives C09) ## Abstract Provided is a bidirectional neural interface having excellent elasticity and electrical conductivity improved by deformation, and further having self-healability and a method of manufacturing the same. The bidirectional neural interface includes a first elastic substrate, a neural electrode disposed on the first elastic substrate and including a conductive polymer composite, and a second elastic substrate disposed on the neural electrode, wherein the conductive polymer composite includes a matrix formed of a self-healing polymer material, and a plurality of electrical conductor clusters distributed in the matrix, wherein each of the electrical conductor clusters includes particles of a first electrical conductor, and a plurality of particles of a second electrical conductor formed of the same material as that of the first electrical conductor, distributed around each of the particles of the first electrical conductor and having smaller sizes than sizes of the particles of the first electrical conductor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bidirectional self-healing neural interface comprising: a first elastic substrate; a neural electrode disposed on the first elastic substrate and comprising a conductive polymer composite; and a second elastic substrate disposed on the neural electrode, wherein the conductive polymer composite comprises: a matrix formed of a self-healing polymer material; and a plurality of electrical conductor clusters distributed in the matrix, wherein each of the electrical conductor clusters comprises: particles of a first electrical conductor; and a plurality of particles of a second electrical conductor formed of the same material as that of the first electrical conductor, distributed around each of the particles of the first electrical conductor, and having smaller sizes than sizes of the particles of the first electrical conductor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the elastic substrates comprise a self-healing polymer material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the elastic substrates and the neural electrode are connected by self-bonding and disposed near a nerve. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the conductive polymer composite is formed as a thin-film form, and a gold (Au) nanomembrane is transfer-printed on one surface of the thin-film. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, further comprising a metal pad disposed on the first elastic substrate, wherein the first elastic substrate is bonded to the neural electrode via holes formed in the metal pad. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 5, wherein the metal pad is formed to be additionally connected to an external neural signal recoding amplifier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein a substrate support layer is formed on one surface of the first elastic substrate, and the substrate support layer has a plurality of separated regions arranged at predetermined intervals. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein an electrical conductivity of the neural electrode increases when a deformed state by an external force is maintained for a certain period of time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein a rearrangement process to connect the electrical conductor clusters, which have been spaced apart from each other because of deformation caused by an external force, is performed in the neural electrode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the neural electrode is rearranged such that the electrical conductor clusters spaced apart from each other because of deformation caused by an external force are connected to each other when the deformation is maintained for a certain period of time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein stress is relaxed when deformation caused by an external force is maintained for a certain period of time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein a source for generating the second electrical conductor is the first electrical conductor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the self-healing polymer material comprises an elastomer material including one of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyethyleneoxide (PEO), perfluoropolyether (PFPE), polybutylene (PB), poly(ethylene-co-1-butylene), poly(butadiene), hydrogenated poly(butadiene), a poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer or random copolymer, and poly(hydroxyalkanoate), as a backbone. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 13, wherein the self-healing polymer material comprises PDMS-4,4′-methylenebis(phenyl urea)(MPU)0.4-isophorone bisurea units (IU)0.6. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductor is a metal material. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the metal material comprises at least one of Ag, Au, Cu, Al, W, Mo, Ti, Cr, Ni, and Pt. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the neural electrode has a strain of 3500% or less. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductor has at least one of a plate-like shape, a spherical shape, a polyhedral shape, a fibrous shape, and an irregular shape. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductor has a size of 500 nm to 2 μm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The bidirectional self-healing neural interface of claim 1, wherein the second electrical conductor has a size of 50 nm or less. ### Claim 21 A method of manufacturing a bidirectional self-healing neural interface, the method comprising: (S1) preparing a first elastic substrate; (S2) preparing an electrode including a thin-film of a conductive polymer composite to which a gold (Au) nanomembrane is transferred; (S3) locating the electrode on the first elastic substrate; and (S4) encapsulating the electrode with a second elastic substrate, wherein in the process S2, the conductive polymer composite comprises a self-healing polymer and electrical conductor particles. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the process S2 comprises: (S21) depositing the Au nanomembrane on a substrate; (S22) preparing a mixed solution of a self-healing polymer material and electrical conductor particles; (S23) coating the mixed solution on the substrate deposited with the Au nanomembrane; (S24) evaporating a solvent from the mixed solution to form a thin-film of a conductive polymer composite on which the Au nanomembrane is transfer-printed; and (S25) detaching the thin-film from the substrate. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the process S25 is performed by separating the thin-film from the substrate by using an attractive force between the Au nanomembrane and the conductive polymer composite. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein in the process S21, wherein the deposition is performed by evaporation or sputtering. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the process S3 comprises: (S31) locating a metal pad having holes on the first elastic substrate; and (S32) locating the electrode on the metal pad, wherein the first elastic substrate is bonded to the electrode via the holes. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the electrical conductor particles comprise: particles of a first electrical conductor; and a plurality of particles of a second electrical conductor formed of the same material as that of the first electrical conductor, distributed around each of the particles of the first electrical conductor, and having smaller sizes than sizes of particles of the first electrical conductor.